Title : THAILAND: More Than 320,000 Tourists Flock To Watch King Cobras
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THAILAND: More Than 320,000 Tourists Flock To Watch King Cobras
The villagers have raised and domesticated king cobras, originally collected from the nearby forests, for decades, attracting tourists who come in droves to see the pets in action.
The rearing of king cobras for public display is found only in Ban Koke Sa-nga village," said Plang Phramuang, 51, the third head of the King Cobra Club of Thailand based in the village.
Born in the village 50 years ago, Mr Plang, who raises three king cobras of his own, is serving a five-year term as the club leader. He said villagers mainly earn income from farming rice and sugarcane.
Raising the cobras for recreational purpose and putting them on a show helps supplement their income.
But now the feared creatures are under threat, although not by locals or visitors but a shortage of food. Their food is harder and harder to come by these days, he said.
Feeding the reptiles is tough task. Normally, we treat them with all kinds of small snakes, frogs and small green frogs, Mr Plang said. He said normally the king cobras eat smaller snakes.
So, raisers must go out to catch or trap the small snakes in the wild.
But water sources around the village are drying up, disrupting the ecology and driving away the small snakes and creatures the cobras feed on.
The prolonged drought and the vanishing water sources mean fewer fish for the small snakes. Also, wide areas where there used to be creeks and swamps have been turned into sugarcane farms.
The drought is causing a problem of fish shortages. Hopefully, after April, there should be some relief with the coming rains. Then, we might be able to trap more small snakes, he said.
Sometime, we have to venture some twenty kilometres to find the small snakes in other places or in the forests, Mr Plang said, adding that when the situation becomes desperate, the villagers buy small snakes at 50 baht per kilo.
The small snakes, such as the ngoo kinpla and ngoo sairung, find their habitats in the creeks or swamps, he said.
The small Ban Koke Sa-nga has a population of 735 people, most of them king cobra raisers. The snakes are kept in wooden boxes on the lower floor of the house and fed every three to four days.
King cobras mostly reach maturity in five years with a life expectancy of between 30 and 40 years and they can grow to between 3.7 and 5.5 metres in length.
King cobras are put on show in the 24 rai of land in the village club. Admission is free and donations are welcome.
The villagers established the King Cobra Village and Club of Thailand, the first of its kind in the country, in Nam Phong district of Khon Kaen.
It is where all the action can be can be witnessed of king cobras fighting with men, women flaunting the snakes coiled around their necks, as well as exhibitions of king cobra nurseries.
The club was set up in 1951 but it was not fully functional and integrated until 2002. Ken Yongla, the first club chairman, pioneered king cobra raising in the village. He was 91 years old when he passed away in 2010.
Back in 1951, Ken brought in some traditional medicines from his relatives in Roi Et and introduced them to the villagers. This was regarded as the first club activity.
Ken cultivated more knowledge about traditional medicine derived from the natural plants in the forest, which helped treat handlers who suffered from snake bites. In 1953, Ken started catching some ordinary cobras in the wild and kept them for show.
The local residents later decided to operate the show in one specific place in the village. However, they must ensure the audience sat a good distance from the cobras which are known to spit venom capable of blinding spectators.
In 1956, Ken switched to catching king cobras instead of cobras because they do not spit poison. His method of showing king cobras to promote herbs proved a success.
The show and the sale of herbal medicines and souvenirs have generated a steady income for many villagers, who have taken up snake raising instead of farm work.
Every Thai traditional New Year on April 13 sees "World King Cobra Day" to coincide with the popular Songkran water festival. This is a reflection of the close ties that bind local customs and the people living at one with nature, according to cultural experts.
World King Cobra Day is celebrated with contests and parades of snakes representing the 13 king cobra-raising villages in the Nam Phong area. Mr Plang said in Ban Koke Sa-nga alone, 342 king cobras are domestically raised. He has 12 of them.
The village's history associated with the snakes goes back over a hundred years. Ban Koke Sa-nga was founded around 1897 when cobras and king cobras roamed the surrounding forests.
But it was not until The village's history associated with the snakes goes back over a hundred years.
But it was not until 1995 that the king cobra show was unveiled to the general public for the first time. As more visitors came to see the show, more king cobras were domesticated to keep up with the rising demand from spectators.
The live show and raising of snakes allows the villagers and visitors to become educated about the nature of king cobras and to learn to live with one of the world's most poisonous snakes.
The residents have also expanded their knowledge on the raising of other breeds of snakes, including constrictor pythons.
Khon Kaen University specialists often visit the village to observe the snakes and take samples of venom for closer study.
It might be useful to learn more about the king cobra's life, as well as how how people can save their own lives after being bitten by poisonous snakes, Mr Plang said. Also, the show is a significant employer.
There's no longer any need for most villagers to move to the cities in search of work, he said, adding the whole family can sometimes join in the work of preparing and conducting the show.
He noted the show draws an increasing number of Thai and foreign tourists, some of whom buy traditional medicines concocted from herbs.
Last year, around 320,000 visitors arrived in the village to catch the show,up from the peak of 200,000 visitors in previous years.
Most visitors are Thais, and around 15% are foreigners, said Mr Plang, adding the visitors also learned about the basic features of the poisonous snakes and how to treat a snake bite.
Since the show began, four handlers have died after being bitten. The last victim was Por Heang in 2012. Last year, one person was bitten and the victim fell unconscious for three days.
The club receives financial support from the Khon Kaen Provincial Administration Organisation and the Saimool Tambon Administration Organisation. The club current has 170 members who are the villagers who are also king cobra raisers. More people have subscribed to the club.
We look after them in the most natural way possible, placing them in wooden boxes and sometimes under our beds, Mr Plang said.
The king cobra conservation is encouraged by the Khon Kaen provincial governor,the Kohn Kaen PAO, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The agencies also send representatives to act as honorary advisers to the village and the club.
Tourism Observer
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